So, one of my readers asked the following question: do I use karmic and soulmate/twin flame relationships in my books?
And I must admit, I had to think long and hard on the answer.
Not because I don't believe in these sort of things, but because I didn't know the answer. I mean, I always felt like the characters and the stories called out to me in a way, and I felt compelled to write about them, but I didn't give the why and how much thought.
And now, that I consciously looked back at some of my work, I was shocked to see that indeed, subconsciously I used both concepts.
For those of you that aren't familiar with the phrases: karmic relationships are usually ones that aren't necessarily good for you, but you need to 'suffer' through them in order to grow and/or learn something about yourself or your situation. More often than not we think that they are our true soulmates, only to find out (quite late) that they are but a lesson to be learnt.
Soulmates, on the other hand, are a reflection, or some say a part of your own soul. They have the same life views, and complement you where it matters most. Being with them feels right from the first moment.
Well, if you have read a few of my stories, you might already see a pattern here.
I had to realise (and admit) that most of the exes in my stories were karmic relationships, and more often than not their sins circled around the topic of cheating. I might have to look at my own past karmic relationships for a clue as to why that was haha. But then again, I did have some heroes and heroines who simply fell out of love, although that was the minority of cases.
I think I just wanted to create a sense of resistance in the main character, as if saying that they are still hurting. On the other hand, I wanted to also show that they didn't get with the other person because they were desperate (okay, that's not always true, either, but please bear with me), but because they felt like it was time to move on, and they said/did something that appealed to them.
You could argue at this point that this makes my heroines shallow and easy to bed, but that wasn't my intention. I tried to convey the waiting, the lonely nights that preceded the events of the stories, as well as them working on themselves and making sure they were ready for a relationship.
But this made me realise one more crucial thing: I don't spend enough time on explaining the hero's reasons for being with our main character. I mean, I focus on her insecurities, and character development, but as one of my fans pointed out, it would be nice to see how the male protagonist comes to the same conclusion.
Don't get me wrong, I do have quite a few stories that I wrote in a dual perspective - one chapter from the heroine's point of view, then the next from the hero's, but I just found that doesn't work for all my stories. For example, one of my latest series, the Reverse Harem Chronicles would have to be from at least 3-4 point of views (which might not be a bad idea actually, hmm).
You know how it is... Once the idea manifests, it's difficult to let it go :)
But anyway, now that I know I'm doing it, I can work on making this part of the stories more interesting for everyone. Who knows, I might even revisit old favourites and see if I can add a chapter or two from a different perspective ;)
P.S. If you have a story in mind that you would love to read from the hero's point of view, and not just the heroines, let me know and I will do my best to put it at the top of my list. This is exciting stuff!
Until next time,
Love,
Timea x